Safe Water and Sanitation Initiative

(Left: Fermin Regadas, Grad Student in the Energy & Resources Group, works on the construction of a UV tube. Credit: Ian Balam; Middle: One of the one-hundred families in Los Dolores that has participated in the Safe Water Program promoted by Fundacion Cantaro Azul and supported by the Blum Center. Los Dolores, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Credit: Fundacion Cantaro Azu; Right: UC Berkeley Student Mary Dain teaching handwashing before lunch at the Nakar Colony Primary School, Hubli, Karnataka, India. Credit: Emily Kumpel)

“The Challenge”

1.1 billion people around the world lack access to safe (uncontaminated) drinking water and 1.6 billion lack access to adequate sanitation. In addition to the costs in terms of human suffering the resulting disease and coping strategies have major impacts on livelihood in poor communities, including lost opportunities for education and income.

“The Opportunity”

Combined with hygiene education and sanitation, disinfecting water at the household level is an effective, low-cost option that can rapidly be disseminated among unserved populations. Providing poor households with access to a wider range of treatment technologies will lead to increased adoption and therefore greater impact.

“The Response”

The goal of the Safe Water & Sanitation (SWS) Initiative is to develop the next generation of highly effective, affordable, point-of-use (POU) drinking water treatment technologies that respond to users’ needs. The initiative is demonstrating the effectiveness of these technologies in the field using rigorous methodologies, and building manufacturing, marketing and distribution approaches for their widespread dissemination.

Four treatment technologies are in different stages of development. Each of these technologies is designed through an iterative process that involves laboratory and field testing and incorporation of input from potential users. Through needs assessment and marketing surveys, people’s perceived needs can translate to actual consumers’ demands. How can consumer education, social marketing and product pricing strategies can best be formulated? What products do people initially choose and which will they actually use? Through epidemiology studies, both short and long-term impacts of these interventions on health, school and work absences, and time spent gathering water are being quantified.

  • The UV Tube (disinfection with ultraviolet light): The UV Tube is an effective, low-cost, and attractive ultraviolet water disinfection system that was developed at the Renewable and Appropriate Energy Laboratory in UC Berkeley. Present work focuses on the improvement of production techniques and the implementation of a two-year field study to assess sustained use of the UV Tube among participants. (Top Right: Amy Pickering builds a UV water treatment device in Mexico. Credit: Amy Pickering.) Visit project website (link) for more details.

  • A-SODIS (accelerated solar disinfection): This project focuses on the development of safe, inexpensive, and locally available additives for accelerating solar disinfection, such as lime juice and hydrogen peroxide. In 2008 the project will complete laboratory studies on the effectiveness of SODIS additives at inactivating a range of pathogens and indicator organisms and conduct extensive field trial communities where conventional SODIS programs are already underway.

  • HMS filter (combined filtration and disinfection): This project focuses on the development of a low-cost point-of-use drinking water filtration system suitable for the conditions in Behrampada, India. The system currently consists of a 1-μm filter to remove large pathogens; chlorine to kill bacteria and viruses; and a safe storage container to prevent recontamination. (Bottom Right: Above ground dry composting latrine with clay base. Tantana, Ecuador. Credit: Adam Morse)

  • Q-H2O (coated antimicrobial surfaces): This project seeks to develop innovative water-treatment technologies based on the use of Quaternary Ammonium Silanes (QAS), which are a class of inexpensive and durable organic antimicrobial surface coatings.

Through student-led projects in India and in Ecuador, SWS initiative team members are working directly with poor communities to increase awareness about the importance of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, and to implement sustainable solutions.

  • Haath Mein Sehat: Now in its third year of operation, the HMS Project promotes dual objectives of hygiene education and promotion of economically viable POU treatment methods. The HMS team is now comprised of student volunteers from UC Berkeley as well as colleges across Mumbai, thus ensuring sustainability.

  • Shuar Health Project: In 2007 this project focused on the construction of rainwater catchment tanks in seven Shuar (indigenous group) communities in the Pastaza Province of Ecuador. The team, which consisted of 25 students, focused on post intervention water quality testing, distribution of safe water storage containers and hygiene education. In 2008 the students will return to the region to evaluate the rainwater tanks and to collaborate with communities to construct ecological, dry composting latrines.

student projects

(Above Left: Hygiene and Safe Water Workshop with the Microfinance NGO Swadhaar, Kerwadi Market, Bandra East, Mumbai. July 2008. Students featured in the photo: Elaine Yu, UC Berkeley student, '09 and Mumbai volunteer Ranjni Chand, SIES College, Mumbai, Microbiology student, '09). Credit: Mary Dain; Above Right: Cal students in Ecuador. Credit: Phillip Denny)

Participating Faculty

Jack Colford, Professor, School of Public Health
David Levine, Professor, School of Business
Kara Nelson, Assistant Professor, College of Engineering
Isha Ray, Assistant Professor, Energy Resources Group

Participating Students

Ben Arnold, PhD Student, School of Public Health, 2010
Jeff Dahm, MS Student, Environmental Engineering, 2008
Mike Fisher, PhD Student, Environmental Engineering, 2008
Erika Garcia, BS Student, Conservation and Resource Studies, 2009
Emily Kumpel, PhD Student, Civil Engineering, 2011
Jill Luoto, PhD Student, Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2008
Karis Miyake, BA Student, Spanish and Interdisciplinary Studies, 2008
Fermin Reygadas, PhD Student, Energy and Resources Group, 2010
Andrea Silverman, MS/PhD Student, Environmental Engineering, 2012

Partnering Organizations

The Aquaya Institute
Fundacion Cantaro Azul
Lemelson Foundation
Mulago Foundation
Proctor and Gamble

Geographical Focus

Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico